Cap and method for forming the same

ABSTRACT

A cap and a method for forming the same are provided. An integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer are adhesively bonded together to form a moldable front panel. A curved front side of the front panel is then formed by a mold. After that, the front panel and a plurality of side panels are connected to form a crown, and a peak is subsequently connected to the front panel of the crown to form the cap. Once the curved front side of the front panel is formed by heating and pressure application through the mold, the integrally formed moldable layer keeps the front panel in shape, so there is no need to support the outer layer of fabric and curve the front panel with two pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is conventionally required.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cap and method for forming the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a cap in which the front panel of the crown has a curved front side formed by a mold, and in which an integrally formed moldable layer is used to support, and maintain the shape of, an integrally formed outer layer of fabric so that there is no need to support the outer layer of fabric and curve the front panel by way of multiple pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is conventionally required.

2. Description of Related Art

Referring to FIG. 5, a conventional baseball cap is typically made by connecting, or stitching, six panels A together to form a crown and then bonding a peak B stitched to the crown. About 80% of the baseball caps on the market are made in this way. In order for the front part of the crown of a baseball cap to be curved and upstanding, the panels A are generally so arranged that the joint A1 of two of the panels A is located at the front part of the crown, the objective being to take advantage of the angle of the joint A1 of the two panels A and thereby render the front part of the crown curved and upstanding. However, as the panels A forming the joint A1 must be folded back and connected together by stitching and bonding with a strip of bonding tape, and an additional layer of lining may have to be bonded adhesively to the two panels A to keep the crown in shape, the joint A1 tends to be so thick and uneven that when a decoration is subsequently made on the front part of the crown by embroidering or other methods, the needle or thread used for embroidering may break or the decoration made by other methods may become defective in various ways, resulting in a high fraction defective.

To solve the problem stated above, referring to FIG. 6, another baseball cap configuration includes a single panel C at the front of the crown so that a decoration made by embroidering or other methods can be formed chiefly on the single panel C without crossing the joints C1 of the panel C, thereby preventing the needle or thread used for embroidering from breaking. However, as the single panel C provides too small an area where a decoration can be made by embroidering or other methods, a relatively large decoration will still cross the joints C1, making this configuration unsuitable for most decorations. Moreover, the two stitched joints C1 at the front are not visually pleasing, and the relatively flat front panel C fails to lend the desired curvature and erectness to the front part of the crown and thus compromises the look of the baseball cap.

U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/765,162 discloses “Cap and method for manufacturing a cap”, in which the crown of the cap is not composed of a plurality of panels stitched together but is integrally formed by a single sheet of fabric. To make the front part of the crown curved and upstanding, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 accompanying the specification of the aforesaid patent, an inner layer of buckram is adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric of the crown. As buckram exhibits relatively poor stretchability and low moldability, it is required that the layer of buckram be made by stitching at least two pieces of buckram together in a curved manner and be adhesively bonded to the inner side of the outer layer of fabric. This manufacturing method, therefore, entails a lot of steps, including molding the outer layer of fabric at a suitable temperature and pressure, stitching at least two pieces of buckram together, and bonding the resulting layer of stitched buckram adhesively to the inner side of the molded outer layer of fabric. Consequently, product defects may arise if the different pieces of buckram are not precisely stitched together or if the layer of buckram is not properly aligned with the outer layer of fabric when adhesively bonded thereto. The joint(s) of the buckram may also lead to embroidery defects when the front part of the crown is embroidered. Furthermore, the outer layer of fabric in the aforesaid patent must be a stretchable fabric, meaning not every fabric is suitable for use, and this makes it difficult to choose a fabric that meets practical needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention provides a method for forming a cap, and the method is carried out as follows:

An integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer are adhesively bonded to form a moldable front panel. The front panel is then formed with a curved front side by a mold. After that, the front panel and a plurality of side panels are connected to form a crown, and a peak is connected to the front panel of the crown to form a cap.

The present invention further provides a cap that includes a crown and a peak.

The crown has a front panel and a plurality of side panels, wherein all the panels are connected together. The front panel has an integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric. Also, the front panel is formed with a curved front side by a mold. The peak is connected to the front panel of the crown.

Furthermore, the front panel has a layer of buckram adhesively bonded to the moldable layer.

Furthermore, wherein the moldable layer is made of wool, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 165° C. and 195° C.

Furthermore, wherein the moldable layer is made of an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) material, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 185° C. and 215° C.

Furthermore, wherein the moldable layer is made of polypropylene (PP), and the mold works at a molding temperature between 100° C. and 120° C.

The crown may be formed by connecting the front panel with four side panels.

Furthermore, the outer layer of fabric of the front panel is integrally formed with the side panels.

Furthermore, the outer layer of fabric of the front panel is integrally formed with the side panels, and the integrally formed moldable layer is adhesively bonded to the front panel and the side panels.

The technical features described above can produce the following effects:

1. Once the curved front side of the front panel of the crown in the present invention is formed by the mold, the integrally formed outer layer of fabric is supported, and has its shape maintained, by the integrally formed moldable layer. There is no need to support the outer layer of fabric with multiple pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is required in the prior art.

2. Each of the outer layer of fabric, the moldable layer, and the layer of buckram in the present invention is integrally formed, so no joint exists in either the outer layer of fabric, the inner moldable layer, or the layer of buckram. Thus, the quality of decorations made on the cap by embroidery or other methods will not be affected by the joining of panels as required in the prior art.

3. The front panel in the present invention is made by bonding the outer layer of fabric and the moldable layer together adhesively and molding the adhesively bonded assembly in a single molding (i.e., heating and pressure application) process. As a result, the multiple processing steps of the prior art are reduced, and imprecise fabric connection and misalignment between adhesively bonded fabrics are avoided to lower the fraction defective and reduce defective products.

4. The outer layer of fabric of the crown in the present invention is not subject to limitations in material and can be made of whichever material chosen to meet product requirements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cap according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cap in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cap in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is the flowchart of the method of the present invention for forming a cap.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional baseball cap.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another conventional baseball cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The technical features described above are incorporated into the cap of the present invention and a method for forming the same. The major effects of the cap and of the forming method are demonstrated by the following embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the cap according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a crown 1 and a peak 2.

The crown 1 has a front panel 11 and a plurality of side panels 12, wherein all the panels 11 and 12 are connected together. In this embodiment, the front panel 11 and four side panels 12 are connected to form the crown 1, and then the peak 2 is connected to the front panel 11 of the crown 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, the front panel 11 has an integrally formed outer layer of fabric 111, an integrally formed moldable layer 112 adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric 111, and an integrally formed layer of buckram 113 adhesively bonded to the moldable layer 112. In addition, the front panel 11 has a curved front side formed by a mold 3. More specifically, the cap is formed by first bonding the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 together adhesively; then performing a single molding process that involves heating and pressure application through the mold 3 to form the curved front side of the front panel 11, wherein the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 may be cut to the shape of the front panel 11 immediately after they are adhesively bonded together or be trimmed after the curved front side of the front panel 11 is formed by the mold 3; connecting the front panel 11 and the side panels 12 to form the crown 1; and connecting the peak 2 to the front panel 11 of the crown 1 to form the cap. It should be pointed out that while the front panel 11 and the side panels 12 in this embodiment are connected by stitching, the side panels 12 can be integrally formed with the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 instead. That is to say, the side panels 12 and the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 may be made of a single sheet of fabric, before the moldable layer 112 is adhesively bonded to the sheet of fabric at a position corresponding to the front panel 11 (this configuration is not shown in the drawings). As another alternative, the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 may be integrally formed with the side panels 12, with the integrally formed moldable layer 112 adhesively bonded to the side panels 12 as well as the front panel 11 (this configuration is not shown in the drawings, either).

The moldable layer 112 may be made of wool or an EVA material, or PP; the present invention has no limitation in this regard. The moldable layer 112 may be made of any material that can be molded into the desired shape when heated and subjected to pressure. When the moldable layer 112 is made of wool, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 165° C. and 195° C., preferably 180° C. When the moldable layer 112 is made of an EVA material, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 185° C. and 215° C., preferably 200° C. When the moldable layer 112 is made of PP, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 100° C. and 120° C., preferably 110° C. Using a proper molding temperature that suits the material of the moldable layer 112 helps shape the moldable layer 112 effectively so that the moldable layer 112 can effectively support the outer layer of fabric 111 and the layer of buckram 113 to keep the curved front side of the front panel 11 in shape.

In this embodiment, the cap made by the forming method described above is such that once the curved front side of the front panel 11 is formed by the mold 3, the integrally formed outer layer of fabric 111 is supported, and has its shape maintained, by the integrally formed moldable layer 112 and therefore need not be supported by multiple pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is required in the prior art. In this embodiment, the layer of buckram 113 is adhesively bonded to the moldable layer 112 to enhance the erectness of the front panel 11. Moreover, now that the moldable layer 112 can keep its molded shape, the layer of buckram 113 is integrally formed rather than made by stitching at least two pieces of buckram together. Consequently, none of the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 of the front panel 11 has a joint. When making a decoration on the front panel 11 by embroidering or other methods, therefore, the needle or thread used for embroidering will not be broken due an uneven or overly thick joint that is typical in the prior art, and various defects attributable to such joints are prevented to ensure the quality of the decoration, be it made by embroidering or otherwise.

The front panel 11 in the present invention is so designed that the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 are adhesively bonded together before a single molding process is performed with the mold 3 at a temperature and pressure that are appropriate to the material of the moldable layer 112. Hence, not only are the plurality of processing steps of the prior art reduced, but also imprecise fabric connection and misalignment between adhesively bonded fabrics are avoided to lower the fraction defective and reduce defective products. In addition, the material of the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 in the invention is subject to no limitations and can be chosen arbitrarily according to product requirements. The materials of the moldable layer 112 and of the layer of buckram 113 can be adjusted as well to meet product requirements. Depending on the materials of the outer layer of fabric 111 and of the moldable layer 112, the layer of buckram 113 can also be adjusted flexibly. For example, the layer of buckram 113 may be dispensed when the moldable layer 112 is hard enough to support the curved front side of the front panel 11.

The foregoing description of the illustrated embodiment should be able to enable a full understanding of the operation, use, and effects of the present invention. The embodiment, however, is only a preferred one of the invention and is not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the present specification and the appended claims shall fall within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for forming a cap, comprising the steps of: adhesively bonding together an integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer to form a moldable front panel; forming a curved front side of the front panel by a mold; connecting the front panel and a plurality of side panels to form a crown; and connecting a peak to the front panel of the crown to form the cap.
 2. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front panel has a layer of buckram adhesively bonded to the moldable layer.
 3. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of wool, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 165° C. and 195° C.
 4. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) material, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 185° C. and 215° C.
 5. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of polypropylene (PP), and the mold works at a molding temperature between 100° C. and 120° C.
 6. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crown is formed by connecting the front panel and four side panels.
 7. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer layer of fabric of the front panel is integrally formed with the side panels.
 8. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 7, wherein the integrally formed moldable layer is adhesively bonded to the front panel and the side panels.
 9. A cap, comprising: a crown having a front panel and a plurality of side panels, wherein the front panel and the side panels are connected, the front panel has an integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric, and the front panel has a curved front side formed by a mold; and a peak connected to the front panel of the crown.
 10. The cap of claim 9, wherein the front panel has a layer of buckram adhesively bonded to the moldable layer.
 11. The cap of claim 9, wherein the moldable layer is made of one of wool, an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) material, and polypropylene (PP).
 12. The cap of claim 9, wherein the crown is formed by connecting the front panel and four side panels.
 13. The cap of claim 9, wherein the outer layer of fabric of the front panel is integrally formed with the side panels.
 14. The cap of claim 13, wherein the integrally formed moldable layer is adhesively bonded to the front panel and the side panels. 